San Tan Valley News

Loop of Lights Taking a Break in 2017

A decade ago, a couple homes in the Pecan Creek South community of San Tan Valley, decided to put a little extra "umph" into their decorations for Christmas. Year after year, the number of homes that participated grew as did the decorations themselves and the event became known as Loop of Lights.

With new features including hayrides, parades, characters, and Santa being added year after year, this event became one of the go to places for a true Christmas lights experience. Approximately 100 homes participated each year and in addition to bringing the community together, the event also worked to raise donations for families in need through a shared charity. A few years back, Loop of Lights started collecting donations for the 104.7 Kiss FM's Johnjay & Rich's "Christmas Wish" program. With the generous donations of people visiting the loop, they've raised thousands of dollars to help support needy families during Christmas time.

With its growth each year, came more and more time to make it all come together and this year, the residents have decided to take a break. The following message was posted on their Facebook page December 4, 2017.

THANK YOU for your patience as we've entered into the busyness of the holidays. We appreciate all the kind messages and inquiries for this year’s Loop of Lights festivities. Loop of Lights has been running strong for 10 years, and we appreciate all the support from those within the Loop, those in the Pecan Creek South, and of course all our visitors. It’s hard to image what started as a few home light displays has now spread into and entire neighborhood, creating such a rich family tradition.

With that said, many of our residents have graciously set aside countless hours and resources in order to keep Loop of Lights running as smooth as possible, year after year. These volunteers have forgone experiencing the holidays with their family and friends to serve you all, and they’ve done so with cheerful hearts. Therefore, for the 2017 year, Loop of Lights will be taking a much-needed break, so we can recharge and spend quality time with our family and friends.

Now, even though we are not FULLY participating this year, many of us have still decorated our homes, and we’d love for you to see them. We have some new residents to the community, and they have brought some refreshing creativity to the mix. :)

Conversely, we are NOT closing the streets, we don’t have restrooms on-site, no parades, and we don’t have scheduled times for our favorite holiday characters to make appearances. Some homeowners within the Loop may offer treats for those who still choose to walk the loop, but nothing is set in stone. We’d also be remised if it wasn’t mentioned that the homeowner with the “plentiful” light display on Beverly Ave. has also taken the year off, and their family will return in 2018, too.

All in all, we hope you all have a great Christmas and holiday season with your family & friends, and we look forward to seeing you all in 2018!